Notes: Players outside The 25 gear up for q-school

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WINN-DIXIE EVENT ANNOUNCES CHARITY CONTRIBUTION OF $1.8 MILLION -- The 2011 Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters announced a charitable contribution of $1.8 million. This is an increase of $200,000 over last year, which was a record for a first-year Nationwide Tour event and among the top three for a first-year event on any of the three tours under the umbrella of the PGA TOUR. Gavin Coles won the event on Oct. 23rd at TPC Sawgrass at TOUR headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT NEXT FOR SOME -- While there is some down time for Nationwide Tour players in November, the pressure will begin anew for those who finished outside "The 25" and are headed to PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament Finals in early December (Nov. 30 -- Dec. 5). Players who finished 26-40 on the Nationwide Tour money list are exempt into the Finals and looking to capitalize on their year-long competitive experience on Tour. The Finals will be played at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. Those who finished 41-70 are exempt into the second stage (ends Nov. 19th). Of last year's 166 Finals' qualifiers, one-third (54) competed regularly on the Nationwide Tour (minimum of 10 events) during the 2010 season.

UNIQUE THREE-TOUR FEAT FOR TOM LEHMAN!? -- By winning three Champions Tour titles this year and capturing the Charles Schwab Cup on Sunday, Tom Lehman put himself in a very strong position to become the first player to capture player of the year honors on the Nationwide Tour (1991), PGA TOUR (1996) and Champions Tour (2011?). Player of the Year on all three tours is based on a vote of the respective tour's membership. Announcements will be made in December.

REFLECTING ON A BIG ROOKIE YEAR -- August's PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley reflected on the last 12 months while in China last week for the WGC-HSBC Champions: "It's been a great season. And to think that a year ago I was just graduating from the Nationwide Tour is pretty special. The Nationwide Tour was a huge part of my career. Without it I probably wouldn't be at this golf tournament. So it's kind of surreal to be here considering only a year ago I was driving home from Daniel Island (in Charleston, S.C.) to Orlando."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIK! -- Erik Compton, who recently earned his PGA TOUR card for the first time, turns 32 on Friday (11th).

"TICKET TO THE TOUR" TO AIR ON NBC IN JANUARY -- NBC will air "Ticket to the TOUR", a 90-minute special that chronicles the drama of players trying to earn a PGA TOUR card. Produced by PGA TOUR Entertainment, "Ticket to the TOUR' will air in high definition on Saturday, Jan. 15th from 1:30 -- 3:00 p.m. ET. The special will focus on the battle among "The 25" on the Nationwide Tour as well as those fighting it out at Q-School. In golf's ultimate reality show, cameras will bring viewers behind-the-scenes and into the minds of select players who underwent both experiences first hand this fall, including Mark Anderson and Luke List on the Nationwide Tour.

WHO NEEDS A WEEK OFF? -- Scott Brown, who finished eighth on the Nationwide Tour money list, led a group of five players who competed in all 26 Tour events this year. The 2006 Division II Jack Nicklaus Award winner from the University of South Carolina-Aiken was joined by David Lingmerth (27th), Paul Claxton (40th), Rob Oppenheim (44th) and Travis Hampshire (60th). No. 61 Nicholas Thompson was one of nine others who competed in all 25 full-field events.

SUCCESSFUL NON-WINNERS -- Sweden's Jonas Blixt earned the most money ($327,020) without capturing a Nationwide Tour win this year. The 2008 Florida State University graduate finished fifth on the final money list. Other non-winners in 2011 who are headed to the PGA TOUR include Scott Brown (8th), John Mallinger (14th), Matt Every (18th), Mark Anderson (22nd), Roberto Castro (23rd), Martin Flores (24th) and Billy Hurley III (25th). Conversely, there are five members who won events this year but did not finish among "The 25" -- James Nitties (26th), Brett Wetterich (29th), Brenden Pappas (41st), Steve Friesen (51st) and Kirk Triplett (53rd). Note: Russell Henley and Harris English were not members when they won earlier this year.

FIRST-TIME WINNERS -- Thirteen of this year's 26 tournaments were won by first-time Nationwide Tour champions.

INTERNATIONAL SCENE -- Nine members of the 2011 class of 25 graduates were born outside the U.S. vs. four last year. Note: Jason Kokrak was born in Canada. His mother, who is from Canada, gave birth to Jason on a family trip. He grew up in Warren, Ohio. He is not included as one of the nine.